Kings captain Dustin Brown, who sustained a hamstring injury early in training camp, has skated better in recent days and is expected to play on a line with Jarret Stoll and Trevor Lewis.

Kings defenseman Willie Mitchell, who missed all of last season after a pair of knee surgeries following the 2012 Stanley Cup Final, will return to the lineup in a familiar place -- against the Wild, a team he spent parts of five seasons with.

For Minnesota, rookie defenseman Mathew Dumba will not make his NHL debut Thursday. Wild coach Mike Yeo said he thought Clayton Stoner's size and veteran presence would be more valuable against a big, strong Kings team.

Up front, veteran forward Mike Rupp was on the ice during the morning skate but still is several days away from playing in a game. He is recovering from offseason knee surgery.

Here is a look at projected lineups for the game Thursday between the Kings and Wild:

He's only 17 but he can see the ice so well and he moves the puck and goes to the open ice all the time, so I just think he's a player that is ready to play in the NHL. I'm really looking forward to coaching someone like this.

— U.S. National Junior Team coach Ron Wilson on Auston Matthews, the projected No. 1 pick of the 2016 NHL Draft